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Our Opinion

The Asus Zenfone 5Z (8GB RAM, 256GB) is a slightly better phone than the LG G7 Plus ThinQ, and is also slightly better value for money. What should you buy? Go for the Asus Zenfone 5Z (8GB RAM, 256GB)!

Beautiful, elegant, glass & metal design, with a 'notch' screen - quite similar to the iPhone X - and arguably the most beautifully designed phone in this price bracket

The power button and the volume rocker on the right have just the right amount of tactile give, and also the mid-frame has a smooth matte finish that ups both the premium quotient as well as the in-hand feel - the ZenFone 5Z feels like an expensive phone that isn't expensive at all

Build quality is rock solid too - the phone has considerable heft but not unbearably so - you'll feel the phone in your hands but you won't find it taking the better of you - it's just the right proportion

It's very pocketable too - boasting of an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 90 per cent - the phone is almost border-less, barring a notch up-top and a chin portion at the bottom

The tall, modern, 19:9 display is absolutely gorgeous - it can get really bright and produces rich and vibrant colours that look pleasing to the eyes - it has great viewing angles as well - again, this is arguably the best display in this price bracket, even better than the OnePlus 6, especially in terms of colour accuracy

Asus's ZenUI is a huge improvement over its previous, bloated versions - it's now much lighter and smoother, and adds tons of useful AI frameworks to make the core Android experience much better - the cameras use AI for scene detection and better shots, the battery uses AI to optimize charging, the processor uses AI to boost specific apps/games, and the display uses AI to remain on when you are looking at it!

Asus also makes probably the best use of the 'bunny ears' on the sides of the notch of any Android phone so far - the implementation is well thought-out - the bunny ears in the case of the ZenFone 5Z are interactive - they don't bombard you with icons and notifications - instead, everything is neatly arranged and there's even a tap to view more option - tapping on either side of the notch takes you to a small sub-head that gives you an expanded view of all the incoming notifications, without having you to pull them down all the way through - it's these little details in the software that really add to the experience of using the Zenfone 5Z

The hardware on the Zenfone 5Z is as top-end as it gets - it is the cheapest phone in India right now with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor under the hood - in short, it will fly through anything you throw at it - and will be as fast as other flagships (OnePlus, Galaxy S9 etc)

Excellent dual camera system at the rear - arguably the best at this price point, and not too much behind the best of the best like the Pixel 2 - photos clicked with it in good lighting come out well, with lots of detail and colours which are mostly true to source - dynamic range is also spot-on - the ZenFone 5Z is also capable of taking some good shots in tricky and low light conditions - the phone also comes with an in-built night mode that ups the detail (even further) and leads to brighter photos at the cost of resolution (4-megapixel)

Thanks to the 4-axis OIS, shake is minimal (or altogether absent) in videos and the 4K clips shot with the phone also look fantastic - the phone further comes with a 3 mic system that results in fairly crisp audio recording as well

The secondary 8-megapixel wide-angle sensor on the rear performs its job really well too - it gives you both a pretty amazing portrait mode, and a wide-angle shot option

The phone's front 8MP shooter is decent too (though not exceptional like the rear camera setup) - it takes some good selfies in good light

The stereo speakers can get really loud, and the phone also supports High-Resolution audio via compatible wired and wireless headphones

Excellent battery life - the 3300mAh battery inside the ZenFone 5Z lasts significantly longer than the similarly sized battery inside the OnePlus 6 - you will comfortably get a day of use and then some

It even charges as fast as OnePlus' excellent Dash charger - you can top it off in some one hour fifteen minutes using the bundled 18W Qualcomm Quick Charger 3.0 charger

On the whole, the Asus ZenFone 5Z looks better, has arguably slightly better cameras, has better battery life, and is as fast as the excellent OnePlus 6 (while the OnePlus 6 scores in terms of better software and water resistance) - everything considered, it is the first (and only) phone in the market right now that should make OnePlus nervous, and will give it some very tough competition

Simple, non-flashy, unibody glass design - looks fairly good in most colors, but this is not a phone that will stand-out

Narrow dimensions make it easy to grip

IP68 water-resistance

There’s a dedicated AI button on the left side of the phone - a single press launches Google Assistant, a double press launches you straight into Google Lens, and a long press on the key takes you straight into voice commands with Assistant - it’s a pretty intuitive system, and one that you are likely to quickly start using

Bright, modern, tall 6.1-inch display - the brightness maxes out at 1, 000 nits - making it ideal for outdoor use when a normal smartphone peaks at 500 or maybe 600 nits - the only comparable flagship phone is the Galaxy S9 Plus, which can reach similar brightness levels

LG's custom UI over Android is decent, and runs butter smooth given the hardware

The performance all-round is top-notch given the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 that rests inside - it compares closely to other flagship devices

Very good AI powered cameras on the rear and the front

The rear dual camera system takes wide-angle photos, recognises low-light situations to employ a 'Super Bright' Mode to make photos and video four times as bright albeit at a reduced resolution, the bokeh shots come out well too - overall, the camera is not too far behind the best of the lot like the Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL, or Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus

The 8MP front-facing camera is pretty good too - it provides a crisp enough and adequately wide enough selfie shooter - when there is enough light, the detail is on par with the Samsung Galaxy S9 front-facing camera

Video recording is done well too, and the 'Super Bright' Mode is present here too

Another highlight is the loud 'Boombox' speaker - it’s plenty loud, and uses the entire phone to pump out rich bass - it's arguably the best speaker implementation on a flagship phone

The phone is also filled with some of the best audio specs, including DTS:X 3D Sound through any wired headphones, and a 32-bit HiFi Quad DAC with 50% reduced noise - you’re going to be able to hear the difference if you’re an audiophile

Supports fast charging, and wireless charging

On the whole, the LG G7 ThinQ is a largely risk-averse flagship smartphone that's meant to be smart, not flashy - to that, it's able to do justice, and is arguably LG's best phone in years - it will likely compete well in the market as a cheaper flagship alternative to the Galaxy S9 series, being one step behind it only in the camera department - although it will also face tough competition on the other end from even cheaper flagships like the OnePlus 6

2-minute Review [Negatives]

The shutter speed on the camera could have been slightly better - it's decent but not the best - it can sometimes get in the way when you're looking to take a quick shot, or clicking a moving subject

Battery capacity is decent (will last the day with moderate use), but could have been better, considering the competition